


Truth and Tequila

by heretherebemonsters



Series: Building by Design [3]
Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Bonding, Confessions, Drama, Drama & Romance, Drinking & Talking, Drunken Confessions, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Loneliness, M/M, Relationship Issues, Relationship Problems, Shy!Sebastian, Tipsy!Sebastian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-09
Updated: 2015-02-09
Packaged: 2018-03-11 06:45:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3317909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heretherebemonsters/pseuds/heretherebemonsters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Claude and Sebastian go for a drink. They talk, they bond and deal silently with the things they can't say to each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Truth and Tequila

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing you recognize.

Sebastian was nervous by the time he got to the bar on Friday evening but he was doing his best to hide it. Hands that shook the tiniest bit were shoved into the pockets of his jeans as he shouldered his way in through the door. He wasn’t entirely sure why he was so anxious; it wasn’t like he’d never done this sort of thing before. He chocked it up to wanting to make a good impression on Claude, even though he was pretty sure he’d already done that.

It was a little after six and the bar was beginning to fill up though it wasn’t so packed that Sebastian couldn’t easily spot Claude perched on a barstool at the far end of the bar. He was wearing crisp dark jeans and a gray v-neck that hugged all the right contours of his muscled chest and biceps, his shiny black hair still looking damp from a shower. He was already half-way through a Guinness.

Sebastian took a deep breath and made his way over. “Hey,” he said with a small smile as he slid onto the stool next to Claude.

Claude looked over at him and grinned. “Hey. Glad to see you made it.”

Sebastian’s smile turned sheepish. “Sorry I’m a little late. A couple things came up that I had to take care of.” In truth, he’d had a hard time deciding what to wear but Claude didn’t need to know that.

Claude waved a hand, unconcerned. “No problem. This isn’t a date, remember? No pressure.”

Sebastian nodded. “Yeah. Still, being late is rude, so I’m sorry.”

Claude laughed. “Don’t worry about it.”

Sebastian flagged down the bartender and ordered a Colorado Bulldog. Claude raised an eyebrow. “Hard week at work?”

Sebastian was momentarily confused then realized that Claude had likely expected him to order a beer this early in the evening. He laughed softly. “No it wasn’t bad. I’m just not much of a beer drinker. I like my hard alcohol.”

Claude grinned and downed the last of his Guinness. “Are you a heavyweight then?” he teased.

“I don’t know about that,” Sebastian replied, passing a bill over the bar in payment when his drink arrived. “But I am a fun drunk, I can promise that.” As soon as the words were out, Sebastian inwardly cringed when he realized how flirty they sounded. It wasn’t his intention to flirt and potentially make things awkward for both of them but he had to admit it was hard to sit next to a man as handsome as Claude Faustus and act as though he weren’t interested.

To Sebastian’s relief Claude chose not to comment and smoothly steered the conversation into safer territory. “So Sebastian, tell me how you landed your current gig with the largest architectural firm in the city.”

“Not much to tell, really,” Sebastian said with a small shrug. “I went to university and did well. My professor recommended me to the firm since he knows several of the higher ups there. They hired me right after graduation. I got lucky.”

Claude snorted and motioned to the bartender to bring him another beer. “Now you’re just being modest. I’ve seen your work. I’ve built your work! You’re uncommonly good at it. What was your GPA anyway?”

Sebastian flushed and hid behind his glass for a moment, taking a deep draw of his drink. “Four point oh. I graduated with dean’s honors.” He sounded almost sheepish as he said it.

Claude shook his head. “See? I knew it. You’re not lucky, you’re smart and talented.” He looked over at the younger man with a hint of seriousness in his golden eyes, though a smile lingered on his lips. “There’s nothing wrong with owning up to your accomplishments, you know.”

Sebastian found himself mesmerized by that brilliant gaze. “I know. I was just raised to be humble, is all.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Claude conceded before taking a long drink of his brew. “But even humble men are allowed to have some pride in their accomplishments.”

“What about you?” Sebastian asked, truly curious. “I’ve never known a contractor as young as you. You’re what? Twenty-five?”

Claude nodded. “You’re exactly right. I had a birthday in January, actually.” He paused and took another drink. “I don’t know that there’s much for me to tell, either. After high school I joined up with a local construction company and worked my way up to site foreman. That was when I decided I wanted to run my own business so I kept working and started going to school at night.”

Sebastian’s eyebrows raised in a show of surprise. “That had to be rough.”

Claude chuckled. “It was the longest two years of my life, I’ll say that. I didn’t sleep much. But it paid off. I got my degree in business management and a year later, I went solo. I was twenty-two.”

“Wow. No wonder you’re known for being a hard worker.”

Claude nodded in agreement. “At a young age, I knew I would never specialize in anything particular. I was never talented in one specific thing like some people are. Like you are.” Claude shot his companion a smile. “I chose construction because I was always best at doing things with my hands and I was never afraid of hard work. If you find your niche, the money’s good and the possibilities are endless.”

“Well I’d say you’re finding your niche,” Sebastian commented, swirling the last of his drink in its glass before swallowing it down. “You’re certainly doing well for yourself.” He faintly felt a tiny stab of jealousy and wondered when his own big break would come along. Or at least a raise.

Claude shrugged, completely unaffected by the praise. “I was lucky.”

The talk turned to other casual subjects and over the next hour, they talked about a myriad of different things, from their favorite movies to the places they dreamed of traveling to. Claude learned that Sebastian’s dream trip was a month long journey through Italy, starting in Sicily, winding up through Rome, Florence and Milan and finally ending in Venice. Claude’s heart squeezed with a rush of something he could only call affection as he watched Sebastian’s ruby eyes gleam with enthusiasm as he talked about how beautiful the Floating City was and how he’d dreamed of going there since he was old enough to realize how special Venice was, how utterly unlike any other city.

“The architecture there is astounding. And the fact that it’s all built on water just boggles my mind.”

Claude took the opportunity to tease Sebastian. “See? Even when you were a kid, it was obvious you were going to be an architect. You just wanted to go to gawk at the buildings.”

Sebastian shrugged helplessly. “What can I say? I’ve always appreciated old buildings.” He paused and there was a beat of silence between them and it seemed to Claude that the other man was remembering something. He didn’t miss the flicker of pain that appeared in Sebastian’s eyes before disappearing just as quickly. Claude wasn’t going to ask, even though he was admittedly curious, but Sebastian continued anyway. “I was supposed to go to Venice last year, actually. But my plans fell through.”

Claude debated if this was a conversational route that they should really go down before asking gently, “What happened?”

Sebastian looked down at the bar and let out a tiny laugh laced with sadness. “I broke up with my boyfriend of four years two weeks before we were supposed to leave.”

“Oh.” Claude instantly regretted having asked, not because he didn’t want to know the details of Sebastian’s life but because he hated to imagine Sebastian having gone through something that painful. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be,” Sebastian said with a wave of his hand. “The bastard cheated on me.” Sebastian felt just as surprised as Claude looked at this abrupt confession. He hadn’t talked to anyone about the debacle with Will since a week after he’d officially become single all those months ago. It seemed the tequila had loosened his tongue a bit. He was nearly to the bottom of his second Bulldog by now.

Claude was having trouble wrapping his head around the idea of anyone cheating on Sebastian. Unless the younger man was actually a closet psycho, Claude couldn’t fathom it. He could list several good reasons not to and he didn’t even know Sebastian all that well yet. Besides that, Claude had always been of the school of thought that no one deserved to be cheated on and it was one of the lowest things anyone could do in a relationship. “I don’t understand why anyone would do that,” he murmured, more to himself than Sebastian.

Sebastian however, seemed to hear him plainly. “Hmm? Oh I guess Will just decided that he was tired of me or something.” Even now, Sebastian wasn’t entirely certain why Will had cheated. There had never been an entirely satisfactory answer to the question when he’d asked.

“If that’s why, it’s a pretty shitty reason,” Claude spat, unimpressed. “If his feelings for you had changed all he had to do was talk with you about it and there could have been an amicable parting of ways. There was no reason for him to treat you like that.”

Sebastian was mildly surprised at Claude’s fervor but it was intriguing too. It was apparent that Claude had zero tolerance for such behavior and it was highly likely that whoever Claude dated would never find themselves in the sort of situation Sebastian had found himself in. “Do you speak from personal experience?” he couldn’t help asking, genuinely curious where Claude’s seemingly iron-clad stance on the topic came from.

Claude shook his head. “Not directly, no.” He paused and debated if he really wanted to say anything more on the subject. In light of what Sebastian had told him so far though, it only seemed fair to elaborate a bit. “My parents dealt with it. My mom actually cheated on my dad when I was in high school and they ended up getting a divorce. To this day, they still hate each other and can’t stand to be in the same room together. So I’ve seen first- hand what damage can be done.”

Sebastian had ordered another drink and was looking thoughtful as he waited for it. “My parents are still happily married,” he mused quietly. “So I had no idea how tough relationships can be until I got out on my own. I dated a few guys during college until I met Will. He was the first one I really loved, you know?”

Claude watched Sebastian with sad eyes. “That makes it even worse.”

Sebastian snorted. “Tell me about it.” He paid for his drink and immediately took a long gulp. He was feeling fuzzy around the edges by now and the talk about Will just made him want to drink more, something he hadn’t done in a long time. In the first few weeks after the breakup, he’d spent a lot of quiet nights with his TV and a whiskey bottle until he’d forced himself to pull it together. He hadn’t indulged in alcohol much since then. He had to admit that it felt good to relax and let loose a bit right now though.

The bartender wandered over to ask Claude if he wanted another beer, which he turned down, and used the distraction as a way to steer the conversation away from such depressing and sensitive subjects. After all, if Claude had his way the two of them would have plenty of time to get to know each other in the near future.

It wasn’t long before he and Sebastian were once more sharing a laugh over tales of college days and workplace shenanigans and it was about that time that Claude fully realized that it was going to be hard to be around Sebastian and not press his interest. The younger man had completely captured his attention by now, if he hadn’t before. Claude found that he was unable to look anywhere else but at Sebastian’s handsome face, drawn in by his unusually beautiful ruby eyes and the way their corners crinkled when he smiled wide. Sebastian’s clear genuine laugh was pleasing to the ear and Claude found that it reflected Sebastian’s personality like a mirror. At their first few meetings he had been quiet and bashful but now Claude was finding that past that exterior Sebastian was talkative and full of a sharp wit. Claude thought that he could get lost forever in the inner workings of Sebastian’s mind and not care one bit.

Of course besides that, Sebastian was downright beautiful and Claude couldn’t deny that physical attraction was there as well. He realized that he hadn’t been this drawn to someone in more years than he could recall right then. So he couldn’t quite help himself when Sebastian finished his drink and excused himself, sliding off his barstool and heading for the bathroom. Claude took the opportunity to admire Sebastian’s ass as he walked away.

When Sebastian returned a few minutes later, his steps slightly uneven, he told Claude that he’d had enough to drink and should probably head home. They’d been sitting there talking for a few hours now. “I have to feed my cat anyway,” Sebastian told Claude. “She’ll be crying for me at the door when I get there.”

Claude smiled at the thought of Sebastian cuddling a cat in his arms; somehow the fact that the other man was a cat person wasn’t too surprising. It seemed fitting. “Alright then,” Claude said with a nod. “Just let me pay my tab and I’ll walk you out.”

A few minutes later, they were outside in the parking lot in the balmy summer air. The sun was setting, nearly invisible behind the trees. The western horizon was painted in streaks of brilliant gold and crimson and pink. It was the finest sunset Claude had seen in a few days and he took a moment to admire it. The unbidden thought came then that if this had been a date, he would have wanted to kiss Sebastian now. Actually, he acknowledged, he still wanted to, date or not.

“Thanks for listening to me run my mouth,” Sebastian said with a small laugh. “Sometimes I get carried away.”

Claude turned back to him with a smile. “It’s perfectly fine. I’m pleasantly surprised by this side of you.”

Sebastian’s cheeks flushed slightly, a light rosy shade which Claude thought complemented his porcelain complexion perfectly. “Yeah, I get that a lot.”

Claude’s brows furrowed in sudden concern when he noticed the keys in Sebastian’s hand. “Hey are you going to be alright to drive? If not, I can drop you off.”

Sebastian seemed to think about it for a moment. He was aware that he should have cut himself off a while ago but he hadn’t been thinking about getting home while he’d been engrossed in conversation with Claude. Slowly, he nodded. “Actually, that’s probably a good idea.” His expression turned a bit sheepish. “I am a little tipsy.”

Claude chuckled. “Not a problem. I’d rather drive you than have something bad happen. Come on.” He waved a hand for Sebastian to follow him to his truck. “Will your car be okay here overnight?”

“Oh yeah,” Sebastian said, not worried in the slightest. “I’ve left it here before.”

“As long as it’s not going to be towed or something. I can run you back here to get it sometime tomorrow if you’d like.”

“Oh!” Sebastian’s face reflected surprise at the offer. “That’s generous of you.”

“It’s really not a problem.” Claude hit the unlock button on his truck’s remote.

“Okay then. Thank you.” Sebastian had turned shy again, much to Claude’s amusement.

They climbed up into the truck and Sebastian gave Claude directions to his townhouse before settling back in the soft leather seat. The truck was spotlessly clean inside, despite the dust on the outside and Sebastian had to admit he was impressed. The interior was finely detailed and there was shiny brushed aluminum trim on the dash and door panels and a touch screen stereo/GPS unit. It was obviously an expensive vehicle and it was just as apparent that Claude took pride in it and took care of it. He wondered if Claude showed such care in every area of his life; it seemed likely that he did.

When Claude pulled into Sebastian’s driveway, the younger man thanked his companion once more and opened the truck door, sliding out and landing on slightly unsteady legs. To his surprise, Claude appeared a moment later, having thrown the truck in park and coming around to the passenger side. Sebastian was grateful for Claude’s hands that were suddenly there to steady him; it was such a small gesture but it was more care than he’d been shown by anyone in quite a while, not counting the trio of receptionists at the firm whom he knew only wanted to weasel their way into his bed so they could say they’d slept with the hottest guy in the office. Sebastian offered Claude a tiny smile though he had to fight back a sudden stinging in his eyes. Where had the sudden emotion come from? Must have been the booze. “Thanks.”

Claude nodded. “Of course. Wouldn’t want you falling on your pretty face, now would we?” His tone was light and teasing before turning serious. “You going to be alright, Sebastian? I mean being alone and all.” Claude was thinking back to their conversation from earlier and he hadn’t missed the subtle change in Sebastian’s expression or the way he’d blinked back what were certainly unexpected tears at Claude’s gentle gesture.

Sebastian wouldn’t look at Claude as he straightened his shirt, sniffing once. He nodded. “Yes, I’ll be fine, Claude. I’m used to being alone.”

Claude’s heart clenched at the words. “Well, if you need anything please call me. It doesn’t matter if it’s the middle of the night, just call, okay?”

“Okay. Thank you.” Sebastian looked up at him finally and it seemed to Claude that there were a million things that Sebastian wanted to say, flitting around behind his eyes. He waited, not wanting to push or pry, but Sebastian didn’t say anything else. The younger man might be adept at covering his true feelings but Claude was equally as adept at reading people and it didn’t take much for him to see the depth of Sebastian’s loneliness now that the man’s guard was down. It made his chest ache in sympathy.

Sebastian sorted through his keys until he found the one that went to his front door. He gave Claude a bright smile, though it was at least half faked. “Goodnight, Claude.”

“Goodnight, Sebastian.” Claude stood there and waited until Sebastian had disappeared into his home, the door closing tightly behind him, before climbing back in his truck and driving off.

Just as he’d predicted, Sebastian was met at the door by Kali, crying for her dinner. He fed her and then wandered aimlessly into the living room where he collapsed on the couch. Turning the TV on, he stared mindlessly at the ten o’clock news until Kali appeared from the direction of the kitchen, meowing softly. She jumped up on the couch and Sebastian pulled her onto his lap, stroking her silky black fur as he thought about his evening with Claude. He had enjoyed the other man’s company and felt safe in saying that Claude had seemed to genuinely share the same sentiment. Sebastian found himself once more regretting the decision to turn Claude down on a date. He supposed it was too much to hope for the man to ask again.

Sebastian sighed as he thought of his empty cold bed waiting for him and for the first time allowed himself to wonder what it would be like to go to bed to Claude instead.


End file.
